


First Date!

by KaiserKris



Series: Rise of the Mutants One-Shots [7]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Romance, Shipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 11:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13363935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiserKris/pseuds/KaiserKris
Summary: Kitty Pryde and Piotr Rasputin have their first date together.Shameless shipfic. I needed to write something to lift my spirits a bit, and here it is. My No. 1 X-Men OTP.This fic takes place about four years after "Rise of the Mutants, part III" and should be broadly contemporary with "Rise of the Mutants, part IV".





	First Date!

“Oh my  _ god.  _ You’re the  _ X-Men. _ ” The waitress babbled excitedly and Kitty smiled graciously and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes.  _ Guess that comes with being famous superheroes in a small town. You get really well known- fast. Even more so when most of the new people in town are mutants too.  _ “You’re Shadowcat and you’re  _ Colossus. _ ” The waitress’ eyes turned to Piotr. “I saw your newest exhibition in the Met. It was  _ so  _ amazing to see art from a mutant creator. It was  _ incredible.  _ It was like looking into your subjects’  _ souls.”  _

 

Piotr for his part smiled as well, graciously, but just a little awkwardly. “Thank you.” He glanced over slightly apologetically at Kitty. It’d been his idea to go to a local place, after all, and not go into the city, where they stood a chance of either not being recognized or the locals not particularly caring who they were. Kitty loved that about New York. Nobody particularly batted an eye at superheroes going to restaurants or bars. 

 

That wasn’t the case in Salem Center and hadn’t been so for some years, ever since Kitty had joined the team at least and maybe even before then. The Institute had expanded greatly from its early days and from a group of a few dozen students, the school now had a student body of over five hundred, a quarter of whom weren’t even mutants but had been attracted by the lavish scholarship opportunities and cutting-edge facilities. The school had sixty-five teachers on staff and nearly a hundred non-teaching staff. 

 

The Xavier Institute for the Gifted was one of the largest employers in Salem Center and the presence of hundreds of young mutants and their families had provided a considerable spur to the economy. Families with mutant children who wanted safety and preferred to avoid the crowded Mutant Town in New York City had migrated to Salem Center  _ en masse.  _ The sleepy little commuter town had become a bustling community, globally known for its bohemian culture.  _ I came here seven years ago and now I barely recognize the place sometimes.  _

 

Finally, after some more excited babble, their server had given them the menus and then, for the first time since they’d walked out of the doors, Kitty Pryde and Piotr Rasputin were  _ alone.  _ Dwelling on the fact made Kitty more than a little nervous.  _ Somehow, it seemed easier when I’d done a round of shots and just come off doing an amazing karaoke number and I caught him looking at me.  _ Kitty had felt so bold that night almost a week ago but the reality was very different now that she was here and Piotr was here. 

 

_ If I can go into space and stop nuclear armageddon and raise a tiny baby dragon, I can go on a date with a cute guy I like without falling apart. Not a blushing teenager anymore. I’m a twentysomething now, a brave and confident woman who knows what she wants. Who isn’t afraid to make the move when the time is right. I’m an actual literal superhero.  _

 

“Penny for your thoughts.” Piotr smiled faintly, leaning in just a little, those glittering, amazing, sexy blue eyes looking into hers. 

 

“I’ll raise you a full dollar for yours.” Kitty replied, hoping that didn’t sound incredibly stupid, leaning in just a little herself, realizing just a little too late that doing that was probably putting herself on display just a little.  _ Way too used to casualwear. You don’t have to worry about how much you’re spilling out of a T-shirt.  _ She also hoped that the smile she was giving put forward the air of confidence and not of stupidity, vapidity or an attempt to seem confident when she wasn’t entirely so. 

 

Piotr paused for a moment and Kitty was very, very aware of his eyes just then- he was definitely looking her over- not lingering anywhere in particular, but taking everything in. Kitty wasn’t entirely unused to men gazing at her, staring at her, ogling her. A lot of the time, it felt degrading and almost humiliating. But Piotr’s gaze wasn’t like that. It was neither disrespectful or disinterested. 

 

“I wish I had a pencil.” Piotr replied finally with a faint smile. “I left my sketchpad and pencils at home, because I thought it might be strange. And now you’re making me regret that decision.” He was teasing, just a little bit, the faint smile becoming just a little bit of a grin. “You look beautiful tonight,  _ Katya.”  _

  
Kitty could feel the brush rising in her cheeks and no matter how much she wanted on one level to play it cool, it was happening anyway.  _ Lots of guys say that.  _ When Piotr said it, however, it felt genuine. And more than that, it felt like it genuinely meant something. She felt herself smiling broadly, uncontrollably.  _ Well, I guess the game’s basically over now. He’s going to know that I’m eight million kinds of into him.  _

 

“Thank you.” Kitty managed to say. “You look good too..”  _ Beautiful. In a manly way. Absolutely fucking beautiful. A demigod. Ugh.  _ She distracted herself for a moment by glancing again at the menu, which was filled with a lot of delicious-sounding items that would almost certainly be out of the question for her.  _ It’d probably been easier if I hadn’t gone through that phase where I threw kosher out the window.  _ She’d had a couple of really awful negative experiences, which had resulted in quitting synagogue for the better part of a year. She’d only started going again when a new Reform synagogue had opened up in Salem Center itself, with a rabbi that happened to be amphibious and have webbed fingers and toes as well as having a progressive view of Torah. 

 

“It’d probably be a little easier to order if I didn’t know how good shellfish tasted.” Kitty laughed. “I’m considering the salmon. The reviews suggested it was pretty good here.” She smiled at him. “Hold on.” Her smile widened. “Lemme guess what you’re ordering. With my awesome predictive powers.” She reached over and touched his sleeve. “Like Longshot. I’m gonna read your thoughts through your sleeve.” She pretended to concentrate. “You’re going to order the steak. You’re tempted by the stroganoff but then you think of your mother’s stroganoff and you realize that nothing compares.” 

 

Piotr smiled back a little slyly. “You got me.” His smile broadened slightly and Kitty became really, really aware right then of how incredibly, insanely close that their hands were. “Perhaps I’ve acquired powers too. Like Rogue now, I can read your thoughts via touch.” Kitty’s heart started to beat faster when he said that.  _ Hoo boy.  _

 

And then Piotr actually went and did it, his hand enveloping hers effortlessly, his touch warm, soft and gentle, despite the enormous strength that she knew he possessed even when he wasn’t actively using his mutant powers. Her heart, which had already been beating a bit faster, started hammering hard. His thumb brushed across her palm ever so slightly and it was all she could do not to completely melt at the delicate, teasing touch. 

 

It definitely made her mind wander a few places. 

 

“You’re going to order the Pinot Grigio.” Piotr finally pronounced, his voice seemingly certain, though he was still smiling. “You think Rieslings taste like sugar water and Chardonnay is just a touch overdone.” He laughed softly. “Was I correct?” There was maybe just a little tiny touch of smugness in his tone, not enough to offend, just enough to assert that, yes, he was actually pretty confident with women. 

 

Kitty wasn’t going to dwell precisely on why that was.  _ Yeah, like the fact that he had a brief affair with my favorite singer. Or not one, but two supermodels. Nope.  _ There was literally nothing positive to be gained by considering who he’d dated in the past, just like she hoped he wasn’t thinking about who she’d dated in her past.  _ I did the rebound thing with Spider-Man. That’s gotta count for something. But like I said, not dwelling on stuff. Right now, the guy I’m into right now, is holding my hand and looking into my eyes. Focus on the now, Kitkat.  _

 

Randomly, she hoped that Lockheed was being good and that Longshot hadn’t given into temptation just to go through the drive-thru and get him Chicken McNuggets. Kitty knew that Lockheed could still pull off some pretty adorable faces when he wanted them. He’d open his eyes wide and cuddle closely to you and be all warm and loving and then ask for a 20-piece with sweet and sour sauce.  _ God, he’s a tiny pig. A pigdragon.  _

 

“You win.” Kitty laughed, looking back fully at him. “I mean, deep down, I’m a beer girl, but it feels not quite right at a fancy restaurant like this, ordering a fancy salmon dish with most of the other ingredients listed in French. Beer is for jeans and a tank top at Harry’s-” 

 

“Singing ‘We are Woman’ by Dazzler?” Piotr finished with a smile. “You did very well, you know. You had the dance down perfectly.”  _ Yeah, okay, I can believe that.  _ Kitty was under no illusions of being a great singer. She could kind of carry a tune, but nobody was going to hand her any medals on her vocal prowess. Of all of them, it was Scott who, surprisingly, had the golden pipes. 

 

But dancing? Kitty  _ knew  _ she could move. She’d been a dancer and a very good one when she’d been younger and she’d never really forgotten her dance lessons, and from the time she was eleven, she’d studied one form or another of martial arts.  _ And I’m damn good at them.  _ She could spar with Laura or Kurt or Longshot and not completely embarrass herself. Kitty could even do it for a little bit with Logan.  _ Damn right Piotr liked my moves. My moves are amazing.  _

 

“So how come you never sing at karaoke?” Kitty teased softly, trying to toughen herself back up just a little bit and not just melt into a puddle at the fact that he had totally not stopped touching her hand.  _ It’s just handholding. Why is it even such a big deal?  _ It made her wonder, briefly, how it’d felt for Rogue when she’d finally been able to touch Longshot.  _ And then she’d given up using the device for the better part of a year because she wanted to master her powers herself.  _ Kitty couldn’t imagine having that kind of patience and self-control. 

 

“Harry does not stock enough alcohol to get me to sing in public.” Piotr replied with a faint laugh. “I’m … quite wretched. I tried, you know, to sing to Illyana when she was little sometimes and mom was busy. To get her to sleep. She would just cry more. Besides, what would I even sing? Most of the Russian music I knew does not exist on American karaoke playlists. And a lot of the Western music I enjoy doesn’t even have lyrics.”  _ Right.  _ Piotr was legitimately into classical music. It was something he shared with Hank. They’d sometimes go to the opera together. She personally preferred music you could dance to in a club, but it was still impressive. 

 

“Aw. I’m sure you’re not too bad. Besides, karaoke’s about having fun, not about being a good singer or not. I mean, of all of us, Scott’s the only one who has any really good pipes.” She had absolutely no physical or romantic attraction to the man, but she could imagine how someone could.  _ Pretty sure that’s the only reason that Emma ever comes out to Harry’s. To hear him sing. And that’s the last thought I’m gonna have about Emma Frost tonight.  _ Even though she’d proven herself on multiple occasions, Kitty didn’t have any particularly great love for the woman. She always had an agenda of some sort. 

 

“I think it might be a secondary mutant power of mine, actually. Terrible singing.” Piotr continued to smile, and then looked down at their hands together for a moment, the smile broadening as his eyes returned to hers. Kitty felt the blush rising further and hotter on her cheeks and just a little bit of something  _ else  _ as well.  _ Yep, just a lil bit of what Kurt and Wanda used to call whatever else. Definitely some whatever else happening here.  _

 

“Could just dance.” Kitty countered with a smile that she hoped hid the fact that she was a little nervous and very, very much into the moment and the handsome Russian she was currently with. “You’re not a half-bad dancer.”  _ I just wish my best memory of seeing him dance wasn’t with Betsy.  _ There’d been a few occasions where Piotr’s surprising and considerable skill as a ballroom dancer had been rather useful.  _ Silver Sable sure seemed to like him. That came in handy when we’d got ourselves deep in trouble in Transnistria. And once again, I’m thinking of him being around beautiful women that aren’t me again. Gotta stop that.  _

 

“We should do that sometime.” Piotr replied with a smile. “Go dancing.” 

 

“Yeah.” Kitty replied. “I’d really like that, a lot.”  _ Dancing is good. Dancing involves holding and touching and it’s natural enough to me that I can do it well even when I’m distracted by the holding and the touching. And that really sounds like he’s soliciting date number two when we’ve barely started date number one. Which is a good sign. A really good sign.  _

 

“Excellent.” And then, as if to reinforce just how little time had actually gone by, the waitress came around to take drink orders. Kitty did indeed order a glass of the Pinot Grigio and Piotr got a glass of the Cabernet and since they both knew what they were getting, they also placed their food orders. Their drinks came out only a moment later, along with a basket of what looked like really delicious bread.  _ Oh hello basket of delicious carbs. Is that cheese I see laced into you? How delightful.  _

 

In the rush of feelings that came with being on a date with Piotr, Kitty had kind of forgotten that she was actually really hungry. It was something of a constant among the X-Men, that almost all of them had pretty impressive appetites. Hank’s research had suggested that mutants tended to have higher metabolisms than ordinary humans and in addition to that, they were just about all in pro-athlete physical shape, even the ones who had non-physically based powers. 

Needless to say, the bread was demolished in swift order. 

 

By the time that their actual food had arrived, they were deep into a discussion on the relative merits of various extraterrestrial cuisines. Piotr rather liked the Skrull cuisine, in great part because its emphasis on pickled and smoked foods fairly closely resembled the Russian food he’d grown up on. Kitty preferred the spicy, nearly vegetarian Shi’ar dishes. They both agreed, however, that the Kree had miserably bland cuisine and that was probably what made them militaristic- it resembled the worst stereotypes of British food. 

 

“But this is the key difference.” Kitty smirked slightly. “You can actually eat Shi’ar food. They serve lunch and dinner at the temple.” The Shi’ar had established a Solar Temple near the site of their embassy in New York City, which had found a thriving sideline in serving Shi’ar cuisine, the vast majority of which was perfectly consumable by humans, to the curious inhabitants of the city. 

 

“Not enough meat in it.” Piotr replied, teasingly and then, with a self-deprecating laugh. “Besides, it’s too hot for me. You remember when I tried to eat Scott’s Flaming Death wings.” Kitty remembered only too well and couldn’t help but giggle a little. She was pretty sure Piotr had downed an entire carton of milk in his frenzy.  _ Moral of the story, don’t eat anything Scott makes unless it is steak, hamburgers or maybe pancakes. The man has weird tastebuds.  _ Kitty knew that. Once, she’d accidentally drank his coffee, the thick black sludge that everyone sarcastically referred to as  _ Cafe a la Summers.  _ She was pretty sure she’d just about died of a caffeine overdose. 

 

The mains arrived and it was all Kitty could do to try and retain a little bit of decorum and not simply demolish her food. She noted with a little amusement that Piotr was evidently trying to do the same. Kitty smiled over at him. 

 

“How’s the steak?” Kitty asked brightly. 

 

“Delicious.” Piotr replied with a small smile. “The fish?” 

 

“Really good, actually.” Kitty laughed. “Fish is often a total disaster, but no, this is really great.” 

 

“The chef here must be talented. So often, if I get steak, it’s either overcooked or undercooked.” Piotr paused for a moment and then smiled. “Do you want to try a little bit of it?” 

 

_ Do I want a bite of delicious, juicy, medium-rare ribeye fed to me by a glorious demigod of a man? Why yes.  _

 

“... okay.” Kitty smiled a little shyly as Piotr cut off a particularly succulent-looking bit and offered it to her at the end of his fork. She leaned over slightly to take it.  _ Should’ve got the steak.  _ It was practically buttery in her mouth and she actually closed her eyes for a moment, wanting it to linger as long as possible.  _ Oh god, this is good.  _

 

It was then she realized that she’d actually made a little bit of a noise. 

 

“I’m going to assume that means you enjoyed it.” Piotr replied with a faint grin as she turned about eight million shades of crimson. 

 

Kitty laughed a little awkwardly. “Yep. Good steak. Well-cooked.”  _ Oh god. Nothing is going to let me live this down. Yep, here I go, ruining every nice little moment.  _

 

_ No way. I’m not going to be like that. That’s bullshit. I am Kitty Pryde, also known as Shadowcat. Mother of Dragons. Kicker of Supervillain Asses. I am a dancer, a warrior, a hacker, a superhero and a teacher. I have been to space. I have averted nuclear armageddon. And I asked Piotr out and dammit, little voice of insecurity, I’m tired of you dictating to me. I’m Kitty Pryde and I don’t do things half-assedly. I want something (or someone), I’m going to go for it, dammit.  _

 

_ God, he’s got a nice mouth. I want to kiss him. I’m going to do it, right now. Don’t care that it’s not traditional to do it before the end of the date. Annihilus could crash this restaurant two minutes from now and disintegrate us both with the Cosmic Control Rod.  _

 

Piotr leaned in just a little with a faint, adorable smile. “I’m glad you liked it.”  _ Aha. Just enough. Look out, Rasputin. Strong independent woman going for what she wants.  _

 

Kitty leaned in, nearly as far as she could and kissed him. Almost immediately, he responded. And when they parted, he came in again to kiss her this time, with barely a second’s hesitation. A third kiss was longer and deeper than the other two and by the time they parted from  _ that  _ one, Kitty Pryde was just a little breathless.  _ Okay, more than just a little bit.  _

 

Then she realized she was probably supposed to say something.  _ Might as well be the truth.  _

 

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long while.” She was blushing up a storm, but she wasn’t shying from it either. 

 

“Me too.” Piotr replied with a broad smile and then laughed. “And now- I want a pencil and papers more than ever.” Another laugh. “Perhaps I could sketch you later? If you liked.” 

 

_ Well, that is an extremely open-ended invitation that could mean a lot of different things.  _ But there were few people that Kitty trusted more than Piotr. That was one of the main things she liked so much about him. If she decided that she wanted to keep her clothes on and leave it at a sketch and a few good-night kisses, she knew that he would respect that and not hold it against her. She also knew that if she dragged him into bed pretty much immediately, that he wouldn’t judge her for it.

 

“Later tonight?” Kitty replied, arching her eyebrow in a way that she hoped was alluring and not ridiculous. “I’d like that, Piotr, a lot.” 

 

“... we could pick up dessert at the late-night bakery on the way home?” Piotr gave her another one of those perfect smiles that made her just a  _ little  _ weak in the knees. “And maybe a bottle of something nice to go with it?” 

 

“Sounds wonderful.” Kitty replied, practically beaming. 


End file.
